LSU Tigers: Big 12

BRADENTON, Fla. — There were as many as 10 games going on at the same time at the IMG 7v7 National Championship over the weekend, and at times it was difficult to determine just who the top performers were. After all, there were more than 30 prospects in the ESPN 300 who participated. Here's a closer look at several seniors who stood out during the two-day event.

ATH Deon CainCommitted to ClemsonESPN 300 rank: 25Cain helped lead his team, Unsigned Preps from Tampa, to the championship game with several acrobatic catches. The trio of Cain, Ray Ray McCloud III and junior-to-be wide receiver Nate Craig proved to be too much for teams to handle. Cain is solidly committed to Clemson and said he is not considering any other schools at this time.

S Derwin JamesCommitted to Florida StateESPN 300 rank: 26James is known for his physical play, but he showed he is more than just a big hitter. James broke up several passes and just always seemed to be around the ball. Like Cain, he is solid with his commitment, but in this case to the Seminoles.

CB Iman MarshallUncommittedESPN 300 rank: 20Marshall played wide receiver and defensive back for his team, B2G, and excelled at both. The four-star prospect teamed with another ESPN 300 receiver, Trent Irwin, to form a dangerous pass-catching combo. Marshall is still narrowing his choices but knows he will take visits in the fall to Florida State and Notre Dame.

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The IMG 7v7 National Championship held at IMG Academy over the weekend featured some of the top 7-on-7 teams from all over the country and even a few teams from Canada. The event, which included 12 prospects ranked in the top 50 of the ESPN 300, showcased some of the best talent you will find in a single tournament. Led by Alabama verbal commits Calvin Ridley and Shawn Burgess-Becker, the Florida Fire from South Florida defeated Tampa’s Unsigned Preps 20-18 in the championship game to take home the title.

Quarterbacks shine

There were several high-profile quarterbacks in attendance, and they lived up to the hype for the most part. Deondre Francois, who recently transferred to IMG Academy, made numerous impressive throws. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound signal-caller has a top three of Oregon, Auburn and Florida State and is planning to make his decision at the end of July.

The Early Offer is RecruitingNation's regular feature, giving you a daily dose of recruiting in the mornings. Today’s offerings: The ink was barely dry on the letters of intent for 2014 class when one of the best for the 2015 class came off the board; and what schools and recruiters have jumped out of the gate with success with players that won’t sign for another 360-plus days.

The Early Offer is RecruitingNation's regular feature, giving you a daily dose of recruiting in the mornings. Today’s offerings: Alabama’s 2014 class is special, but is it the best class ever? Who were my biggest winners Wednesday, and what can we look forward to with the class of 2015?

Late Tuesday evening Adams (Lewisville, Texas/Hebron) said Florida, Texas A&M, Texas, Ole Miss and Ohio State are still very high on his list of schools, but LSU is now in the mix as well. Adams was offered by LSU back in April, minutes after he competed at the Nike Football Training Camp in Allen, Texas, and earned a golden ticket to The Opening.

Forgive ESPN 300 cornerback Tony Brown (Beaumont, Texas/Ozen) if he hasn’t been as open with discussions on recruiting. He’s been occupied with trying to help his football team -- in every capacity possible.

Along with being a shutdown cornerback, Brown said he’s been spending some time on the offensive side of the ball, working as a wide receiver because of injury within the team. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound athlete is hoping to have an impact on both sides of the ball this weekend when Ozen plays Livingston, Texas, on Saturday.

Max Olson/ESPNA decorated hurdler, ESPN 300 cornerback Tony Brown expects to participate in track no matter which football program he picks.

“I’m falling back [with recruiting] to focus on the team and winning games,” said Brown, the nation’s No. 13 player in the ESPN 300. “Recruiting’s kind of been a distraction. Right now, I’m focused on playing. I had a bad ankle sprain the first game, so I’m still getting right from that. I’m just trying to help get us to the playoffs.”

A top-10 SEC showdown between the hedges? Two of the winningest programs of all-time battling in South Bend?

We’ll be watching these games and many more on Saturday afternoon and we’d like you to join in on the conversation. Head on over to Campus Connection at 3:30 ET and follow the action along with eight of our reporters. Post your comments and questions and we’ll include as many of them as possible.

Can Texas right the ship against K-State? Will Michigan avoid another upset scare? Can Auburn-LSU produce another close one? And what about that Arizona State-Stanford showdown in the Pac-12?

We’ll be watching these games and many more on Saturday night and we’d like you to join in on the conversation. Head on over to Campus Connection at 8 ET and follow the action along with our eight reporters. Post your comments and questions and we’ll include as many of them as possible.

The All-American wealth has spread across the land. The Pac-12 leads the conferences with seven, one more than the SEC. Dual-threat QB Marcus Mariota and RB Lache Seastrunk both originally signed with Oregon. Now that Seastrunk plays for Baylor, he and Mariota no longer have to share a backfield. Seastrunk and G Cyril Richardson make the Bears the only team with two on offense. Richardson is surely the first All-American named Cyril, but Lache is not the first body of water to make it. He joins 1939 Heisman winner Nile Kinnick.

Alabama has won three of the past four BCS titles with defense and placed LB C.J. Mosley and S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on this team. Alabama and Oregon lead with three players apiece on the list. That's one more than the Big Ten and two more than the ACC and Conference USA. -- Ivan Maisel

This is the last year of the BCS, and our writers look at its impact on college football:

From Ivan Maisel: The BCS has moved NCAA football forward in a way no system before it could and given it a national stage, but along with exposure comes greater pressure and expectations, which in the end the series couldn't overcome.

From Mark Schlabach: As we prepare for the final season of the BCS, let's take a look back at its highs and lows.

From Brian Bennett: Five of the last seven national champions have had at least one loss, and with a playoff looming, going undefeated will be harder than ever.

Big 12 blogger Jake Trotter reacts to TCU coach Gary Patterson's critical comments of LSU coach Les Miles for reinstating running back Jeremy Hill after his teammates voted to allow him to return to the team.

There are already two games on the schedule this season -- between TCU and LSU, and Oklahoma State and Mississippi State. What else would I like to see?

Let me start by saying that renewing the Texas-Texas A&M and Missouri-Kansas rivalries are a given. I'm omitting those matchups, but I'd love to see them.

Let's get started:

Oklahoma State vs. Alabama: OSU narrowly missed out on playing for the national title back in 2011, and both are among their conference favorites again in 2013. When the BCS "snubbed" the Pokes after the 2011 regular season, OSU coach Mike Gundy half-jokingly suggested these two play for the right to play LSU in the title game. It would be fun to see this one finally played out on the field.

Baylor vs. LSU: Straight up offense vs. defense. That's the Big 12 vs. SEC debate at its heart. Baylor just might be the Big 12's best offense, and LSU will put together another strong defense. These are the matchups we want to see. The Big 12 has faltered on the big stage, helping the SEC stretch its run of national titles, but seeing Bryce Petty sling it around against an athletic defense would be a lot of fun.

Texas vs. Arkansas: Arkansas' exit from the Southwest Conference helped usher in the birth of the Big 12 after the SWC crumbled. Texas has bigger rivals like Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but these two played some of the greatest games in college football history, and as an Arkansas native, I've seen up close how much Razorbacks fans detest the Longhorns to this day. The result would be a great game and a hyped atmosphere.

TCU vs. Texas A&M: Texas A&M fans take exception to the idea that TCU was an on-field "upgrade" over the Aggies in the Big 12. The Aggies largely struggled in the Big 12 after some early success and a Big 12 title under R.C. Slocum. Since leaving for the SEC, the Aggies have gone nowhere but up, and ended 2012 as the hottest team in college football. Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel has a Heisman Trophy. Could he shred the Frogs? Want to prove TCU is not an upgrade? Beat TCU on the field.

Kansas State vs. Florida: Kansas State is perpetually underrated and wins with a bunch of junior college guys, and high school players overlooked by major programs. Florida won big under Urban Meyer, but has been largely overrated since Meyer left and was whacked by Louisville to end 2012. The Gators would be suiting up an army of recruiting stars, but could Bill Snyder, the Manhattan Magician, grab a win for the Big 12?

Oklahoma vs. Georgia: Mark Richt and Bob Stoops have one big thing in common: Neither fan base truly appreciates what their coach has accomplished. Consider this an opportunity for both to quiet the hot-seat talk. It's been a lot more intense for Richt, who endured a 6-7 season back in 2010, but he's won the SEC East in each of the past two seasons. Stoops has averaged just over 10 wins a season at Oklahoma, and Richt has averaged just under 10 wins. Call this the "Underappreciated Bowl."

Five great nuggets of information to get you ready for the weekend in college football.

1. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the only FBS team this season that has not allowed a touchdown drive longer than 75 yards. In fact, the Irish have allowed just six offensive touchdowns in 92 opponent drives all season, the fewest touchdowns and lowest percentage in FBS. The key has been excellent red-zone defense. Notre Dame's opponents have scored a touchdown on 21.7 percent of their red-zone possessions, the lowest percentage for an FBS defense in the last nine seasons.

2. Since Week 2 of the 1993 season, the LSU Tigers have been shut out three times in 244 games. All three of those blankings came: • At the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide• Took place in the state of Louisiana
• Game was played at night

In 1996, Alabama shut out LSU, 26-0, and in 2002 won 31-0. Both games were played in Baton Rouge. The third shutout came in the 2012 BCS Championship Game, 21-0, in New Orleans. Dating back to 1975, LSU has been shut out nine times. Seven have been in the state of Louisiana (six in Baton Rouge) and four have come against Alabama.

3. The SEC has a rich tradition of productive running backs, but this season might feature something that hasn't happened in 40 years. Currently there are no SEC players averaging 100 yards per game on the ground. The conference leader is Texas A&M freshman Johnny Manziel (99.1) and he's a quarterback. The last season that the SEC failed to produce at least one player averaging 100 yards per game rushing was in 1972, when Auburn's Terry Henley led the conference at 93.7 yards per game.

4. Out west, the Oregon Ducks have scored at least 42 points in all eight games this season. Oregon is the sixth team in major college history to reach 42 points in its first eight games of a season. However, only one of those teams stretched the streak to nine games: The 2010 Oregon Ducks. That streak was stopped in the 10th game of the season against California. Dating back to last season, Oregon's 42-point streak stands at 11 games, which is the longest all-time.

5. Perhaps the Kansas State Wildcats should be grateful to be No. 2 behind Alabama in the BCS Standings after three weeks. Since 2001, only one of the 11 teams that led the BCS Standings after three weeks went on to win the national championship (USC in 2004). Over that same stretch, five teams ranked second after three weeks won the title (Miami in 2001, Ohio State in 2002, Texas in 2005, Auburn in 2010 and Alabama in 2011).